KASU receives N27,936,899.34 from TETFund as a research grant

Dr. Zwanden Sule Yahaya, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kaduna State University has been awarded a grant of N27,936,899.34 (Twenty-Seven Million, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety-Nine Naira, Thirty-Four Kobo only, under the 2023 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) Intervention. 

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This is 100% of the Total Intervention Cost (TIC). The research shall be conducted by a team of researchers under the leadership of Zwanden Sule Yahaya as the Principal Researcher. 

The title of the research project is "Development of a Palm Kernel-Based Emulgel Loaded with Neorautanenia Mitis Silver Nanoparticles for Effective Scabies Treatment." 

KASU is expected to submit a periodic progress report on the research to the Fund. The duration of the execution of the research is 24 months. The research grant is expected to cover the purchase of equipment, chemicals, and consumables, personnel honorarium, report preparation, and dissemination.

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According to estimates, 455 million individuals are afflicted globally each year with scabies. The available treatment options are either less well tolerated, poorly suited, expensive, or contraindicated in the groups most often affected by the disease. The research aims to formulate a palm kernel-based emulgel containing Neorautanenia mitis nanoparticles for effective scabies treatment. The developed formulation is expected to provide an affordable, efficacious, and convenient means of delivering Neorautanenia mitis for scabies treatment.

The Principal Researcher, Dr. Zwanden Sule Yahaya, is a pharmacist with a distinguished career in both practice and academia. He holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, demonstrating his commitment to advancing the profession within the region. He was also a member of the 2nd cohort of the biannual grantsmanship and mentorship program of the National Institute of Medical Research.

His research interests focus on formulation science, lipid-based formulations, drug delivery systems, and dosage form design. His academic background also shows a specialization in social and administrative pharmacy, indicating his interest in public health and healthcare systems within West Africa. 

He has presented his work at several conferences and published the outcomes of his numerous research projects in reputable journals, books, and book chapters. Dr. Zwanden Sule Yahaya is the current Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, KASU.

Members of the research team include Dr B. B. Mohammed and Pharm Fatima Kurfi (Dept of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy), Dr Salisu Awwalu (Dept of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry), Dr Jonathan Maiangwa (Dept of Microbiology), Dr Maimuna Zubairu (Dept of Biochemistry), Pharm Danjuma Mallam (Dept of Pharmacology), Dr Hussain Yahya, a consultant Physician and Dermatologist at the Department of Internal Medicine, and Pharm Rifkatu Manasseh Turaki (Dept of Pharmacognosy). Others are Prof. Philip F. Builder, a Professor of Pharmaceutics at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, and Dr. Ogundijo Oluwaseun Adeolu, a Veterinary Physician at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan.

Signed 

Adamu Nuhu Bargo 

Public Relations Officer 

Kaduna State University